Democrats have selected Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to run for late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat in the U.S. House.
According to The Hill, Turner won the nomination by a 41-37 vote in a runoff against Amanda Edwards, a former Houston City Council member. Edwards challenged Jackson Lee in her primary earlier this year (via The Hill):
Turner previously served in the Texas state House before serving as mayor of Houston for eight years, leaving office at the start of this year upon the completion of his second term. He had the support of Jackson Lee’s children, Jason Lee and Erica Lee Carter, to succeed their mother in office, saying she had “no greater partner” than him while serving in office.
He had endorsed Jackson Lee during her race to succeed him as Houston mayor in 2023, but she lost in a runoff to then-state Sen. John Whitmire (D).
As Townhall covered, Jackon Lee died from pancreatic cancer last month. She was 74.
In June, Lee announced her cancer diagnosis, saying that the “road ahead will not be easy.”
Turner will run against Republican Lana Centonze in the general election in November. This election is separate from the special election called by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to fill Jackson Lee’s seat for the remainder of this term, which ends in January. Turner is not running in the special election.
On Monday, Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, said in a statement that she was running for the seat in the special election.
"The people of the 18th Congressional District re-elected my mother to the 118th Congress to protect their interests and uphold our democratic values," Lee Carter said. "I want to finish for my mom.”
Candidates have until August 22 to file for the special election.
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